This post contains spoilers for TsukiR. So if you haven't played it and don't want to be spoiled be sure to play it first.
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So what I want to do here is to analyze this concept. I compiled a number of facts and evidence so I could understand it for myself, but I thought maybe I could share it too. Especially since I didn't see much discussion regarding this topic. And now that there is a great fan translation other people can participate as well.
For context this scene happens sometime after Arcueid activates Event Storage in order to store the Earth's lifeforce, which also results in everything else being dragged along with it.
It also happens after Luminary Arcueid has her body partially dispersed by Calvaria Star.
The shiny dot above is the Celestial Egg/Luminary's heart. It also represents the death of the Luminary after becoming a living being (or being in the process of doing so).
Here we are told this is all a phenomenon that is occurring on the surface of the Earth.
Bear in mind up until this point the Celestial Egg shown here and the energy converging is still happening inside the isolated dimension Arc created. Nothing has being rewritten yet.
Then we get this:
Spoiler:
With the narration explicitly stating space itself was overwritten. You see the nebulas and stars bursting forth from Arc's core there; the conceptual universe overwritting the isolated dimension, overwriting reality itself.Space itself is being overwritten.
Here it explains how this particular conceptual universe is still in it's early stages, since it can be illuminated by the stars inside it as well as the Celestial Egg residing at the center of it. ■■■■■■ likely refers to the Celestial Egg and what it represents.
Here it explains what it means by conceptual universe. Since it's the universe in it's early stages it would make sense no life on Earth can remember it. Note at this point Earth itself disappeared, rather the Celestial Egg is now the center of everything.
Here Shiki is falling towards the Celestial Egg at a speed not possible in reality. Makes sense given this conceptual universe is stated to have different physical laws (more on that in a moment).
Here he almost reached his target, after falling light years in this space he only has 200 meters left to go. He used his gravity manipulation spell he learned from Roa to adjust his landing.
He makes it to Luminary Arcueid's heart here.
He is falling very fast through space, so of course he can't stay here for long. Where exactly is he falling, you might ask? The answer is the gravitational vortex at Arcueid's feet that's storing all matter and events.
Here it quite explicitly states Arcueid's heart, the Celestial Egg is the beginning and end of a universe. Roa also states the Celestial Egg is the atomic structure of all creation and where Eternity can be found
Here we see Shiki scratching the Celestial Egg in order to 'wake' Arcueid up. Bear in mind the center of the Celestial Egg or the Luminary's heart is never stated to have any particular dimensions, it looks like a nascent planet when looking at it up close but it's not necessarily one yet.
The important thing is the power it holds.
Here we see Shiki finally completing his fall after scratching the Celestial Egg, making Arcueid come back to her senses, which means the conceptual universe is vanquished and Arcueid can now finally cancel her Luminary form. Thanks to Arcueid's abilities which is the conversion and storage of events, taking her down means the 'events' that took place are rendered as something that never happened.
FAQ
Q: Isn't this a conceptual universe, meaning it's lesser than the real thing?
A: There are a few incorrect preconceptions some people tend to have whenever the term 'conceptual' comes up, so I want to take this opportunity to address them here.
A conceptual universe/space merely refers to a space where certain laws apply or do not apply, and it doesn't even have to be a 'universe' in the way we understand them or even resemble one. This is explained in Mahoyo with Flat Snark's dimension which is the size of a theme park (and later grows to the size of a city through space warping), yet it's also said to be a conceptual space, as a result of carrying it's own inherent laws/common sense. That's why I thought the NA version of Mahoyo did a great job translating 概念空間 as Cosmos; a system of thought.
Most importantly when it comes to Tsukihime we are both told by the narration and shown by the visuals that space itself was overwritten. In Arcueid's route we actually see Arcueid using her universe to overwrite reality, and as also mentioned in Ciel's route it is a different realm with laws outside human understanding and observation.
In conclusion a conceptual space/universe just means a particular space or universe where certain laws apply, and they vary greatly in size, scope and inherent attributes, it just so happens Arcueid's conceptual space/universe is in fact covering the(outer space beyond the Human Universe of Awareness) and is greater than human observation can reach.CosmosVoid
Q: If this applies to Earth, shouldn't all Types/planets have their own Celestial Egg and conceptual universe?
A: There are some problems with that idea. The most prevalent example of textures we have is the texture of the Human Order. It currently covers the solar system and it draws upon it's energy, to the degree that Archimedes states the solar system itself will collapse in 100 years if parallel worlds continued without prunning, but with the prunning in place it can sustain itself for millions of years. The common sense of man also affected Earth, that's why True Ether became (Imaginary) Ether which wasn't good for the planet, although this is likely mitigated and not that important in TsukiR. But this means textures encroach upon whatever they are layered upon, to the degree that the human texture is drawing upon the resources of the solar system itself for their parallel worlds.
Tsukihime Material I references the planet itself also having a texture. And as we see in Ciel's True (Retroflow/Celestial Conception scene) the texture of the planet is a universe larger than our own, explicitly stated to be "the source of everything, yet also the cemetery of stars where all will in the end return"; which means Arcueid's texture/conceptual universe is layered upon other planets outside the human universe. This is also the reason why we see a gigantic egg-shaped cosmic structure covering the Cosmos the one time Roa is talking about the planet's soul.
Another point to keep in mind is that the Second Magic, said to involve both the attestation and management of parallel worlds is a concept that was adopted by both humanity and the planet only after Zelretch discovered it. This means the concept of parallel worlds is not something that comes naturally to planets.
Lastly, although this is from FGO, Zeus also states in LB5 that the Earth itself is a special planet, as evidenced by the fact it took eons for his fleet to locate it. This is meaningful because it's the one instance where an intergalactic intelligence gives their opinion regarding the uniqueness of our planet and how it compares with other planets in the cosmos.
So given Earth is an exceptional planet these traits aren't sure to apply to other planets in the cosmos.
Q: What is Retroflow?
A: Retrograde Cannal or Retroflow as localized, based on this scene and others in TM works seems to refer to a particular space where time is flowing backwards. The reason why time itself was flowing in reverse is also likely due to the Retrogresive Gravitation of Event Storage. This is one of the reasons why Luminary Arcueid even began to display a concept of death after the 'excessive' absorption of events took place, which was cited as a factor. The Celestial Egg is something that exists at the beginning of creation within the planet's recorded universe in the Inner Sea, but since Event Storage affected all textures reaching beyond what Arcueid intended, and the absorbed events themselves become a part of her body in the form of heat she also absorbed her own texture, which made it possible for Shiki to conceptualize the Luminary's collapse after time flowed backwards. This is a reference s to why both the MEoDP and Retrograde Cannal or Retroflow can be considered to be her only weaknesses as cited in Tsukihime Material I; it's the combination of both factors.
Feel free to discuss or add some more questions.
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Originally Posted by CCC NP profile
